Central America
Trial begins against 10 accused of helping Funes to appropriate more than $351 million
August 15|
In the case known as “Public Pillage” the First Sentencing Court of San Salvador, has begun this Tuesday the public hearing against 10 defendants linked to the corruption network that created the former president of the Republic, Mauricio Funes.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic accuses for the crimes of money laundering, embezzlement (appropriation of state property) and special cases of money laundering.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has more than 2,500 documents, 114 witnesses, financial and tax accounting experts and 21 international assistances, which were admitted in the preliminary hearing and which will begin to be evaluated by the court in the trial scheduled for one month.
The prosecutors intend to prove with financial, accounting and tax expertise that the defendants allegedly appropriated public funds that the Ministry of Finance allocated to the Presidency of the Republic for the reserved expenses between 2009 and 2014.
One of the key expertise is the accounting analysis made by an expert where he confirms that Funes in his presidential term used the mechanism of budgetary reinforcements to appropriate $351,035,400.
This expertise called “Forensic Financial Accounting Audit of Administrative and Functional Management” shows that in the records of the Ministry of Finance, between June 1, 2009 and June 1, 2014, it appears that the budget for the Reserved Expenses item that the Legislative Assembly approved for the Presidency of the Republic was $80,818,285.
But Funes, not satisfied with these funds, devised a criminal plan to increase the secret item known as “Item 54315 Reserved Expenses” through budgetary reinforcements.
The increase was 300% equivalent to $270,217,115.49, leading him to appropriate $351,035,400.49, in his entire administration and the people who today begin to be prosecuted were part of that criminal structure, according to the accusation of the Prosecutor’s Office. Funes fled justice in 2016 to Nicaragua.
As the plan was to lose track of those funds delivered as reserved expenses to the Presidency of the Republic, from the subsidiary account of the public treasury the money began to be transferred to accounts that were in the name of private individuals in the Banco Hipotecario.
The holders of these private accounts were Francisco Rodríguez Arteaga and Pablo Gómez, who were in charge of depositing the money through checks. These two people were also part of the network used by former President Antonio Saca.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, these actions are serious because the accused violated the administrative regulations that already determine the mechanisms to be followed in the management of public funds.
The private attorneys at the time of initiating the trial have presented several petitions. One of them is a peremptory exception of res judicata in the case of Vanda Pignato.
The defense says that she was already judged in a civil trial for illicit enrichment of $135,536.15, funds with which she paid credit cards and other financial products, in that lawsuit she was absolved of responsibility and in this process of Public Plunder are the same facts accused which becomes a double judgment and that she be exonerated for the crime of money laundering.
The defense has also requested the exclusion of José Francisco Cáceres Saldaña, former private secretary of Mauricio Funes, as he was not duly granted the status of criterion witness.
They have also requested that some documents handed over by Cáceres Saldaña not be evaluated since the proper chain of custody was not followed.
They are also requesting not to take into account a point of expertise of a financial accounting analysis made on the reserved expenses and which affects David Rivas, former Secretary of Communications of the Presidency.
THE PENDANTS
1 Vanda Pignato, former First Lady, accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of money laundering and simulation of crimes.
2 José Miguel Antonio Menéndez Avelar, owner of COSASE, accused of money laundering, asset laundering and tax fraud.
3 Juan Carlos Guzmán Berdugo, former father-in-law of Mauricio Funes, indicted for money laundering and asset laundering.
4 Manuel Rivera Castro, former president of Banco Hipotecario, indicted for embezzlement, money laundering and asset laundering.
5 Rigoberto Palacios Panameño, former chief accountant, faces trial for embezzlement.
6 Luis Miguel Ángel García, accused of money laundering and asset laundering.
7 Francisco Rodríguez Arteaga, former financial manager of Casa Presidencial, indicted for embezzlement, money laundering and assets laundering.
8 Pablo Gómez, former technical assistant of the Presidency, accused of embezzlement, money laundering and assets laundering.
9 Jorge Alberto Hernández Castellano, former Treasury chief of Casa Presidencial, indicted for embezzlement.
10 David Rivas, ex-secretary of Communications of the Presidency, accused of money laundering.
Central America
Bukele urges Costa Rica to reform prison system amid rising crime rates
El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, recommended that Costa Rica toughen its prison system, describing it as too “permissive” after visiting a Costa Rican prison with his counterpart, Rodrigo Chaves, on Tuesday at the end of an official visit.
“We believe the prison system should be less permissive, focusing more on the rights of those outside and a country’s right to security,” Bukele said after touring the La Reforma prison, located 23 km east of San José.
During Bukele’s visit to Costa Rica, the two presidents discussed different security approaches and strategies to combat organized crime. They also signed memorandums of understanding on tourism, trade, and bilateral relations.
Bukele noted the contrasts between Costa Rica’s prison system and that of El Salvador, which he reformed as part of his “war” against gangs launched in March 2022 under a state of emergency allowing arrests without warrants.
The Salvadoran president pointed out Costa Rica’s high cost per inmate, which he estimated at around $1,200 per month.
“They are spending nearly two minimum wages per inmate. It’s an injustice,” Bukele stated, adding that Costa Rica’s penal system “needs reform.”
Regarding inmate rights, Bukele suggested limiting intimate visits and TV access to prevent prisons from becoming “headquarters for crime.”
“We hope you take the necessary measures,” Bukele said about the increase in crime in Costa Rica, which has seen 757 homicides in 2024, mostly related to drug trafficking.
Central America
El Salvador delivers aid to Costa Rica amid severe flooding and red alerts
Costa Rica raised alert levels on Tuesday due to ongoing heavy rains that are expected to continue throughout the week. So far, flooding has forced 1,369 people into shelters, and the country is receiving humanitarian aid from El Salvador in response to the emergency.
The National Emergency Commission (CNE) declared a red alert (the highest level) for the provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas along the Pacific coast, and an orange alert (high level) for the rest of the country, except for Limón province (Caribbean), which is under a yellow alert (intermediate level).
The CNE reported that the rainy pattern is expected to persist throughout the week. The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) is also monitoring tropical wave number 46, which has a high potential to develop into a tropical cyclone over the Caribbean Sea in the next seven days.
“Rainfall is expected to continue over the coming days, especially along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Additionally, there is a high saturation of soil across much of the country, creating significant vulnerability to incidents like flooding and landslides,” explained the CNE.
El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, who is wrapping up a two-day visit to Costa Rica on Tuesday, announced on Monday the dispatch of a plane carrying humanitarian aid. Originally, the aid was intended for flood victims in Valencia, Spain, affected by a recent storm.
Bukele explained on Tuesday that Spain is currently not accepting international aid, so he decided to redirect the shipment to Costa Rica, splitting it across three smaller planes, with an additional 20 trucks carrying 400 tons of aid set to arrive in the coming days.
On Tuesday, planes carrying humanitarian aid arrived in Costa Rica, as confirmed by both governments.
“We have sent aid missions to Turkey, and we intended to send one to Spain, but the government there did not accept international assistance—not just from us, but from anyone. We were surprised at how swiftly the Costa Rican government acted,” Bukele stated on Tuesday.
Central America
Nicaraguan Naval Force seizes cocaine on Pacific Coast, suspects escape
The Nicaraguan Army’s Naval Force reported on Tuesday the seizure of two bundles containing 80 packages of cocaine along the Pacific coast, although none of the four suspects were apprehended.
The illicit substance was seized near the Quizalá beach, in the municipality of San Rafael del Sur, Managua department. According to the military report, the four suspects “fled, leaving the drugs behind” after “detecting the presence of Army troops.”
The two “red bundles (…) contained 80 rectangular packages of cocaine,” the Nicaraguan Army stated.
The operation was conducted by the First Naval Troop Battalion “Commander Richard Lugo Kautz,” part of the Naval Force.
Authorities did not provide details on the individuals connected to the drug haul or the weight of the cocaine seized. They confirmed that the drugs were handed over to the relevant authorities for legal proceedings.
Nicaraguan authorities emphasize that they are implementing a strategy called the ‘Containment Wall,’ aimed at preventing the movement of drugs or drug-related money into populated areas. They maintain “close cooperation” with regional countries as well as the United States, Mexico, and Russia.
Nicaragua is located along a major drug trafficking corridor from South America to North America, where Mexican cartels operate, and the primary consumers are located.
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